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KERNWERT NEWS

Mobile
Research in the SocialMedia Age - How to Make Study Content
User-Friendly

In
times of Twitter and Co. the attention span of the media users
decreases. This also has an impact on perception and response
behaviour in digital research projects. You can read what you should
consider when preparing your study content in our practical tip with
checklist.

First
impressions also count when it comes to digital research

Imagine
you are participating in an online focus group or mobile diary study
for the first time. You don't know exactly what you're facing or
what's expected of you. This makes it all the more important that you
feel well supported in the study from the very first contact.
The design of the platform as well as the form and content of the
introduction and explanation texts are key.

This
is particularly true for the increasing number of mobile users - now
around 2/3. For a good user experience, the preparation and
optimization of content for smaller screens and smaller time
contingents is becoming increasingly important.

Web-friendly
layout: Please use some color!

The
layout of the study platform should be adapted to the topic and
target group, e.g. a header or cover picture can be inserted.
This is central, because pictures communicate emotions and are more
quickly perceived as written words. Take a few minutes to find
suitable images or illustrations for your study. This is an easy way
to "pick up" the respondents from the first moment and set
the mood for the study. Since it is a matter of creating an
atmosphere, there are no limits to your creativity. For example, a
study on animal feed could be illustrated with different four-legged
friends.

The
use of some small tricks already has a lot to offer when it comes to
layout. If, for example, you make sure that the pictures have a
uniform format, the design of your study will appear more
harmonious (e.g. do not mix landscape and portrait format).

If
you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us. We will
help you to find suitable image material in the correct resolution.

Welcome
respondents online

Every
online survey should start with a friendly greeting. A short but
personal message contributes a lot to a positive first contact.
Perhaps even with a photo of you?

(Mobile)
users especially like to watch videos, they guarantee a high level of

attention
span. So if you want to make sure that all your information is well
received, you might want to try a welcome video. It doesn't
take much longer to create this than to write down all the
information and users will appreciate it.

Don't
hesitate to be personal and creative when greeting the participants.
Test persons don't want to share experiences with a software, but
with a human being.

The
more the participants feel that they are valued and addressed
personally, the more reluctance and inhibitions are reduced and an
atmosphere of open exchange is created.

Create
a friendly atmosphere in which your participants feel at home

Concise
wording and reader-friendly text structure

For
all texts on your research platform, including the introduction text,
the following applies: Stay clear and do not overload the test
persons with too much or too complicated information. For
example, consider at what time you give which kind of information. Is
this already necessary in the introduction, or should it only be
mentioned in the specific task?

It
is also possible to simply name contents at first and explain them
later. Thus it is possible to structure the reading flow in a simple
way and to divide it into small, usable bits instead of presenting
the entire information in one big block.

Form
and formatting as central design elements

Basically,
the same rules apply to the design of digital study platforms that
every web designer and blog operator should follow. Speak to the
respondents in simple, not too long sentences. Be courageous.
Set points. It doesn't hurt. On the contrary. The statements become
more concise. The absorption of information increases.

Another
trick can also help to achieve a higher receptivity:

Use
subheadings for a better overview

The
motto here is: The white background has a calming effect.

Use
paragraphs and set subheadings. This gives the topics a stronger
focus.

You
can also use the following elements for a better outline:

bullet points

or

numberings

Your
messages will thus become more manageable. With bold type and
underlining you set important highlights to make the central
statements of a paragraph easier to identify.